Who the heck is Michytee?

Mixed media artist Michytee (Michelle Thompson) has been drawing, painting and making things for as long as she can remember.

As a child, she loved programmes like Paperplay, Take Hart, Blue Peter and Vision On—anything involving paint, glue and sticky-backed plastic.

After A-level Art, pressure to pursue a "proper career" steered her away from enrolling at Art College and instead onto a teacher training course, then into graphic design, advertising and eventually a long career in IT. Although the work was varied and often well paid, it repeatedly came at a cost to her wellbeing.

Over time, Michytee began to notice a pattern: she felt most herself, and most well, when immersed in creative flow—whether painting at home or working in her woodwork shop & studio; her happy place.

Now undertaking an MA in Creative Practice, she has transformed her lived experience into FlowState – Find Yours!, a creative discovery programme designed to help people who don't think of themselves as creative reconnect with curiosity, play and wellbeing through creative practice.

A smiling Michytee in the FlowState - Find Yours studio

Creativity isn't about being "good at art"—it's about finding your own way back to yourself!

Michytee has built her practice on the following values:

Equality, Diversity, Inclusion

Everyone, whatever their circumstances, deserves to find the peace and joy possible from being in their flowstate.
Everyone should feel empowered to express their truth through their own creativity.
Expensive materials aren't necessary. Just a biro and a piece of scrap paper can be enough.

Honesty, Openness & Vulnerability

No-one should feel they must hide their true self
Authentic is better than perfect!
Creative inspiration is everywhere, but our lived experience is our own best inspiration.

Courage & Personal Growth

A little creative risk-taking and bold experimentation, no matter how daft it might at first appear, is far better for the soul than sticking to established 'standards' (someone had to invent those standards, so let's invent some new ones!)
Trying something new may lead to new opportunities for you to explore.

Giving Back & Making a Difference

Michytee's aim for FlowState-Find Yours! is to reduce the load on the NHS and the Welfare State by encouraging more adults (and children) to prioritise their own wellbeing through creative play.

Collaboration & Community

Through collaboration with local schools, colleges, mental heath support providers and primary healthcare care practices, starting in Keighley, Michytee aims to make creative, playful hobbies part of a healthy lifestyle for all.

Qualifications

A Level Art

1988 - Grade B, which was a rather good grade in the 1980s! No such thing as A* back then! Michytee was quite pleased with that and thought Art College was the natural next step for her. But cautionary tales of artists starving in squats drove her down the teacher training path. It didn't turn out well, because the National Curriculum was already on track to kill off creativity in schools.

Cert. HE Combined Studies

1996 - While working as a Computer Technician at Harrogate College, Michytee enrolled in evening classes on the BA Combined Studies course through Leeds Metropolitan University. Good grades showed she was on course for a First, but looming parenthood called a halt right at the point where she'd just achieved the Cert. HE. Doh!

Shed loads of 'Techie' qualifications!

1998 to 2010 - Who wants to know about Windows NT Server, Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Volume Licensing?

Errr...

No way. Let's move on!

What about the Citrix Metaframe one? No!

SHUT UP and move on will you?!!!!

City & Guilds Carpentry & Joinery Levels 1 & 2

2005 & 2006 - Completed while the kids were at school as a means to return to health after a long stress induced illness. Distinctions all round!

Winner of the 2005 Carpentry & Joinery J. Pickard Award too!

Not bad for a woman with kids, chronic Fibromyalgia and a Narcolepsy diagnosis (ahem, misdiagnosis, thank you!)

MA Creative Practice

Started January 2026. On course to complete January 2027.

FlowState - Find Yours! is the idea which got Michytee a place on the MA course, so we'd best be getting on with it, hadn't we, otherwise there won't be letters after her name in a few months.